Archive for June, 2012

Hayes Components have a lot going on among their brands, but Sun Ringle posted the biggest product news during the Deer Valley PressCamp last week. The high-performance, economically priced brand launched an SL line, which includes new Black Flag and Charger models in 26in, 29in and 650b. These are lighter and wider than the basic Pro models, which will stay in the line.

Along with the wheel news, Hayes revisited the plethora of improvements they’ve rolled out this spring. This has included the Crosshair set screw adjustment featured on their hydraulic brake line, the 20/20 Marathon bar from Answer and a new tuning kit for Manitou’s Absolute+ dampers that allows dealers to make a half-dozen terrain- and rider-specific tweaks.

Sun Ringle Black Flag and Charger Pro SL

Sun Ringle’s economical but high-performance Black Flag Pro and Charger Pro wheels have massive axle compatibility and a BST (Bead Socket Technology) rim profile licensed by Stan’s NoTubes. The Hayes engineers have taken these hoops’ massive feature-sets and made them lighter, wider and stronger.

The Black Flag Pro SL and Charger Pro SL wheels use new proprietary 6000 series aluminum alloy rims that are 1.5mm taller and 1mm narrower externally but with the same inner profiles – 23mm for Black Flag and 27mm for Charger. All the top-level Sun Ringle rims used on Black Flag, Charger and the ADD downhill wheels are eyeleted and welded.

The Charger Pro SL 29er wheelset – a 26in version is also available.

Both of the new SL wheels will cost under US$900 and lose significant weight from the standard Pro models. The Black Flag Pro SL drops to 1,440g for a 26in wheel and 1,600g for the 29in version. The Charger Pro SL falls to 1,550g in 26in and 1,700g for the 29er. Sun Ringle’s 26in wheels use 24 spokes front and rear, with cross-two lacing, while the 29ers get 28 spokes with a cross-three pattern. The SL models use bladed spokes, which are thicker and add stiffness to the wheels.

The hubs are new, too, and the rear features a wider hub flange for a 30 percent increase in bracing angle, which Sun Ringle say helps increase stiffness for the 29in wheels. The freehub now uses a new four-pawl freehub mechanism, which decreases the engagement 50 percent from 15 degrees to 7.5.

“As a general rule of thumb, when the engagement drops durability also slightly drops because the teeth are much smaller,” said Luke Musselman, aftermarket sales manager at Hayes. “What we’ve done is increase surface area between the pawl and the teeth [because each pawl engages two teeth]. Since we’ve increased the surface area between the pawls and teeth, durability is actually up on this freehub.”

All the wheels come with an array of end caps for axle compatibility, as well as being tubeless (via Stan’s NoTubes tape) with valve stems. They even come with Stan’s NoTubes sealant. New for 2013, Sun Ringle will include two replacement spokes for each spoke length used, as part of the new wheel package.

Charger Pro and Expert 650b

Also in 2013, Sun Ringle will enter the 650b fray. “We’ve gone with the Charger Pro, with its 28mm wide rim, and an Expert level [Charger] also,” said Musselman. “These will be available by Eurobike. The reason we’ve gone with the Charger 28mm [27mm internal width] rim is because the [650b] bikes are trending right now between 130mm and 160mm trail bikes.”

The Charger Pro 650b set will cost US$675.

The new wheels don’t have the new SL hubs, bladed spokes or 6000 series rims but do sport all the features of the standard Pro series wheels. These include the full range of hub axle compatibility, the Stan’s NoTubes BST rim profile, tape and sealant.

The Charger Pro 650b wheels will run at US$675, and the Expert models costing US$525.

MRP Camber Cranks
MRP has plenty of clout in the all mountain and downhill crowds, mostly thanks to the amazing chain retention systems that address the specific needs of such riding styles. Now, MRP breaks into the crowded crankset market and does so with amazing success. They’re incredibly light for DH/AM cranks, thanks to material being removed from the back of the arms as well as the fact that there are no mounting tabs for a small ring. The large profile also means these are incredibly stiff cranks, and would also make a great choice for the growing number of XC and trail riders switching to single-ring setups. Their Podium chainrings are, of course, an excellent match!

MRP Lopes SL Chain Guide
The guide that helped Brian Lopes win his fifth-consecutive AIr DH race at Crankworx 2010 is now available! The Lopes SL represents the lightest full chain retention system on the market. At just 100 grams the Lopes SL guide is the obvious choice for 4X, slalom, or all-mountain riders willing to sacrifice bash protection, but not chain retention, in the name of weight savings. itting bash guard possible. In short, there is material where needed, and not much where it is not. The backplate has been redesigned to reduce weight and add stiffness. It also features laser etching to aid in setup and identify which mounting standard you are holding in your hands.

MRP 1X Chain Guide
Developed with World Cup powerhouse Adam Craig, the 1x is purpose-built for cross country riding with a 1×9 or 1×10 drive train. If you are running single-ring and don’t need a bash guard, this is the ticket. No more homemade contraptions needed!

MRP Long Range Patrol
Designed to minimize chainslap and noise, while ensuring your chain is always right where you want it, the LRP is the best shiftable chain guide on the market. Featuring broad compatibility, and our new “Party Crasher Lite” bash ring, it also sports a new raised profile on the arm which prevent the chain from dropping off the granny ring and into your frame. That’s right, no more chewed up, mangled bb shells. With the LRP installed, your bb shell will remain pristine.

MRP Micro Mini G2 SL Chain Guide
The all new Mini G2 SL is stronger, easier to set up, and 30% lighter than it’s predecessor. From the top to the bottom, it has been redesigned. A more compact, lower profile upper guide reduces noise from chain slap while improving fit on bikes that have tight clearance tolerances with frame members. The lower guide is more compact, lighter and stronger than previous models. Our patented skid is tapered and relieved in multiple areas to provide the lightest, most durable, and best fitting bash guard possible. In short, there is material where needed, and not much where it is not. The backplate has been redesigned to reduce weight and add stiffness. It also features laser etching to aid in setup and identify which mounting standard you are holding in your hands.

MRP Mini G2 Steel Chain Guide
Developed by request from OEM customers, the G2 Steel uses the same polycarbonate parts from the existing mini G2 Alloy series and combines them with a steel backplate in order to offer a lower price point that performs exactly the same as the top-end alloy guides. Our plan is to offer the mini G2 Steel in ISCG and ISCG-05 models, but not with BB-mount. You will see this guide specified on several global bike brands for the 2011 model year.

MRP Mini G2 SL Chain Guide
The all new Mini G2 SL is stronger, easier to set up, and 30% lighter than it’s predecessor. From the top to the bottom, it has been redesigned. A more compact, lower profile upper guide reduces noise from chain slap while improving fit on bikes that have tight clearance tolerances with frame members. The lower guide is more compact, lighter and stronger than previous models. Our patented skid is tapered and relieved in multiple areas to provide the lightest, most durable, and best fitting bash guard possible. In short, there is material where needed, and not much where it is not. The backplate has been redesigned to reduce weight and add stiffness. It also features laser etching to aid in setup and identify which mounting standard you are holding in your hands.

MRP G2 SL Chain Guide
The evolution of chain guides continues! The all new G2 SL and Mini G2 SL are stronger, easier to set up, and 30% lighter than their predecessors. From the top to the bottom, they have been redesigned. A more compact, lower profile upper guide reduces noise from chain slap while improving fit on bikes that have tight clearance tolerances with frame members. The lower guide is more compact, lighter and stronger than previous models. Our patented skid is tapered and relieved in multiple areas to provide the lightest, most durable, and best fitting bash guard possible. In short, there is material where needed, and not much where it is not. The backplate has been redesigned to reduce weight and add stiffness. It also features laser etching to aid in setup and identify which mounting standard you are holding in your hands.

MRP Podium Chainring
A high quality, long lasting, lightweight chainring designed to work perfectly with chainguides or single speeds.

MRP S4 Bash Guard
MRP started with a clean sheet of white paper and redesigned every single part to be lighter and easier to install and set up. It uses a full bash guard so that impacts are transferred to the cranks and not the frame. Some riders prefer a full-bashguard system for this consideration, or for reasons of style.